Molecular mechanisms of adaptive evolution in wild animals and plants

Abstract

Wild animals and plants have developed a variety of adaptive traits driven by adaptive evolution, an important strategy for species survival and persistence. Uncovering the molecular mechanisms of adaptive evolution is the key to understanding species diversification, phenotypic convergence, and inter-species interaction. As the genome sequences of more and more non-model organisms are becoming available, the focus of studies on molecular mechanisms of adaptive evolution has shifted from the candidate gene method to genetic mapping based on genome-wide scanning. In this study, we reviewed the latest research advances in wild animals and plants, focusing on adaptive traits, convergent evolution, and coevolution. Firstly, we focused on the adaptive evolution of morphological, behavioral, and physiological traits. Secondly, we reviewed the phenotypic convergences of life history traits and responding to environmental pressures, and the underlying molecular convergence mechanisms. Thirdly, we summarized the advances of coevolution, including the four main types: mutualism, parasitism, predation and competition. Overall, these latest advances greatly increase our understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms for diverse adaptive traits and species interaction, demonstrating that the development of evolutionary biology has been greatly accelerated by multi-omics technologies. Finally, we highlighted the emerging trends and future prospects around the above three aspects of adaptive evolution.

Evolutionary genetics of pulmonary anatomical adaptations in deep-diving cetaceans

“…The functions of these genes are linked to the formation of pulmonary fibrosis, implying their significant role in the diving process of cetaceans. For example, research has demonstrated that mutations in the RTEL1 gene contribute to an animal’s adaptation to hypoxic conditions [ 97 ]. In mice, the reduction of PINK1 expression in lung epithelial cells resulted in mitochondrial depolarization and the expression of profibrotic factors [ 98 ].…”

Alterations of Pleiotropic Neuropeptide-Receptor gene couples in Cetacea

“…Evolutionary transitions, understood as the acquisition of a novel lifestyle within a lineage (e.g., [1]), encompass drastic modifications in several physiological systems (e.g., [2,3]), to sustain the impacts of a novel environment in physiological homeostasis. Cetacea, an iconic group of aquatic mammals composed of baleen whales (Mysticeti), toothed whales, dolphins and porpoises (Odontoceti), are a “ poster child for macroevolution ”, and typify such an evolutionary process [4].…”

Gut microbiome as a key monitoring indicator for reintroductions of captive animals

“…Among the 10 key posed to improve reintroduction biology (Armstrong & Seddon, 2008) is what is the genetic and parasite makeup of the target species. Little attention has been given to the gut symbionts of introduced individuals even though they play a critical role in host adaptive evolution, nutrition, disease resistance, and ecological fitness (Alberdi et al., 2016; Groussin et al., 2020; Hu et al., 2023; Zhu et al., 2011). A new dimension of conservation science, conservation metagenomics, may provide important insights that can inform animal conservation (Wei et al., 2019).…”